Maine bird euthanized

By Ted Cohen

A tropical bird that got blown thousands of miles off course had to be euthanized, officials say.

The purple gallinule was among a flock that got lost in a storm and ended up in Houlton, Maine.

Unfortunately the juvenile purple gallinule who made it all the way to Houlton did not make it back to the tropics.

The bird had to be euthanized by the Maine Wildlife Rehabilitation Center after severe frostbite showed in its leg, according to WAGM-TV.

“We all did what was in our collective power to treat any potential for frostbite, but once tissue damage has occurred, there’s nothing else that we can do,” said Avery Berkowitz, executive director and veteran at Maine Wildlife Rehabilitation.